Drawer-guide.



A. ELMBORG.

DRAWER GUIDE.

APPLIOATION TILED FEB.17, 1910.

Patented June 28, 1910.

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DRAWER GUIDE,

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1910.

962,,50g, Patented June 28, 1910.

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AXEL ELMBORG, 0F OTTUMWA, IOWA.

DRAWER-GUIDE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J n 28 1919. Application filedFebruary 17, 1910.

Serial No. 544,499.

To-all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AXEL ELMBORG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ottumwa, inthe county of W'apello and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawer- Guides, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in drawer uides and moreparticularly to anti-friction bearings for sliding drawers,

doors or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a practical ball bearin devicefor supporting and guiding .the siding object so that it will not bindand may be readily moved in either direction; a further object being toprovide a device which when used in connection with a sliding drawerwill support the same and prevent it from tilting when drawn entirelyout of the casing or object containing the drawer.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through aportion of the casing and the sliding drawer showing the application ofmy invention thereto; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line22 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device; Figs. 4, 5 and 6, aredetail views of parts of the device; Fig. 7 is a sectional view similarto Fig. 2 showing a modified form of my invention; and Fig. 8 is asectional perspective of the stationary track member shown in Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawing 1 denotes a sliding drawer orother slid ing object, and 2 denotes a casing or frame within or onwhich the object 1 is arranged. When the object 1 is a sliding drawertwo of my improved anti-friction or ball bearing supporting devices areprovided beneath the bottom of the drawer and adjacent its oppositesides, each of said devices consisting of a stationary track member 3arranged in the frame or casing 2, a traveling supporting slide 4containing anti-friction bearing balls 5, and an upper track section 6carried by the drawer. When the drawer is made of wood the u per trackmember 6 is preferably made fi'om a strip of metal by stamping in itscentral portion a concaved channel 7 to receive the balls 5, the sideedges 8 of the strip forming attaching flanges. The lower track memberor section 3 is constructed of sheet metal and is preferably of channelformation to receive and guide the slide 4. The said track member 3 hasstamped in its bottom a longitudinal channel 9 in which the balls 5travel, and on its side edges are upstanding longitudinal flanges 10having their upper edges turned inwardly to provide retaining stops 11.The slide 4 contains a plurality of suitably shaped sockets or openingsto receive the bearing balls 5, and it may be suitably guided andretained in the channeled stationary track or guide member 3. Howeversaid slide 4 is preferably constructed of two superposed bars 12, 13, ofunequal width whereby the side portions of the lower bar which is thebroader one, will project to form flanges adapted to travel beneath thestops or flanges 11 on the sides of the stationary track member 3. Thesuperposed bars 12, 13 are formed at intervals with opposing openingshaving fiared walls which form co-acting sockets 14 for the reception ofthe balls 5, said sockets being of such shape as to retain the ballswithin them and at the same time allow them to have free rotarymovement. This construction it will be noted, causes the ballsto beretained in the slide 4 when said balls pass off of the track section 3in the outward sliding move ment of the drawer. The bars or strips 13,12 may be detachably united by screws 15 or other suitable fastenings.

In operation, it will be seen on reference to Fig. 1 that the balls 5run in the grooved track or raceway 9 of the stationary track member 3,and that the weight of the drawer rests upon the tops of the balls throuh the movable upper track member 6. onsequently when the drawer 1 ispulled out of the desk, table, casing or other object 2, it will slidefreely on the balls and at the same time the latter will run upon thelower track member 3 and the slide 4 will travel outwardly. The outwardmovement of the slide will be less rapid than that of the drawer,.consequently when the drawer is pulled entirely out of the object 2 itwill still rest upon the projected end portions of the slides and thelatter will be'prevented from tilting by reason of the engagement oftheir inner ends with the channeled track member 3, consequently thedrawer will be supwith doors, windows and other slidable objects, aswell as sliding drawers.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed in detail, it will be understood that I do not wish to belimited to the recise construction set forth, since various 0 angesin'the form, proportion and arrangement of parts, and in the details ofconstruction, may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of theinvention. For example, the stationary track member 3 instead of beingconstructed entirely of metal as shown in Fig. 7, may have a main bodyportion 3' of wood on the top of which the anti friction balls 5" rolland the ball carrying slide 4 may be guided by flan es- 11' formed onmetal plates 10' dispose on opposite sides of the body 3% If desired,the plates 10 may be formed integral with the connecting bottom ortionso as to form a channeled casing 3 2 wit 'n which the body. 3' isarranged. 'lhis embodiment of the invention is especially adapted foruse on small articles of furniture such as cupboards, dressers, etc.,and by employing a wooden track for the balls arid allowing the woodenbottom of the drawer to rest upon the balls, the device will not be asnoisy in operation as it is when all parts are constructed of metal asshown in the embodiment of the invention first described. The

track'member shown in Figs. 7 and 8 ma y be readily applied to theordinary drawer supporting strips or cleats 2 by means of wood screws 16so that the invention may be applied to ordinary pieces of furniturewithout altering the construction of the same and at a very small cost.

Havin thus described the invention what is claim is:

1. The combination with a support and a slidable object, of a channeledtrack member secured to the support, a two-part slide having theprojecting edges of one of its parts slidably engaged with saidchanneled track member, the parts of said slide bein formed withopposing sockets, bearing ba s rotatably arranged in said sockets andada ted to travel on the bottom of said channele track member, and anupper ooved track member secured to said 'dable' object and adapted torest on the tops of said balls.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with achanneled track member, a slide arranged therein and consisting of superosed parts of unequal width, the side edges of the broader partprojecting and bein slidably engaged with said channeled trac member,the parts of said slide being formed with op osing sockets, andanti-friction bearing ba ls rotatably retained in said sockets.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence-oftwo witnesses.

AXEL ELMBORG.

Witnesses:

' M. L. Swanson LAWRENCE SWENSON.

